"Wife and three kids" a barrier to IndyCar drive - Grosjean

Romain Grosjean

"Wife and three kids" a barrier to IndyCar drive - Grosjean

Grosjean in talks over possible 2021 IndyCar switch

Sam Hall

Thursday 12 November 2020 13:42

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Romain Grosjean has confirmed he is in talks over a potential 2021 IndyCar drive but recognises his young family may prove an obstacle to making a move to the series.

Grosjean and Haas team-mate Kevin Magnussen announced in October they would be leaving the team at the end of this season, with a move away from F1 now the only realistic option for both.

While Grosjean may be in talks with a number of teams in IndyCar, the Frenchman conceded any decision must be right for his family given either the volume of travel to and from the United States or potential relocation.

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“First of all I need to definitely have something done in IndyCar to decide if I’m going to decide to travel back and forth or completely travel there,” said Grosjean.

"I’ve got a wife and three kids. It’s not like I’m a youth who can just jump on a plane with a backpack and not look behind me so, obviously, there are some considerations there.

"[One of] The pros of IndyCar is that everyone has pretty much the same car apart from the dampers and two types of engine. The races are pretty fun, there are good opportunities to win the race or to be on the podium.

"The cons, obviously, I don’t know much about motorsport in the U.S. The tracks look cool and I think it’s a very good championship.

"I think there are more pros than cons but, obviously, the lifestyle with what we do and where we live with the kids in education is very high on the priority list.

Grosjean, who has been based in Europe throughout his career, has sought counsel with 2019 Indy 500 winner Simon Pagenaud and former F1 driver Marcus Ericsson in a bid to understand the difference of how a move would affect family life.

“Marcus has been really helpful because he knows Europe, he knows GP2, he knows Formula 1 and now he knows the U.S as well, as Simon Pagenaud," said Grosjean.

"So let’s see what is coming. I’m hoping in the next few days and then we can look at the details and so on."

Grosjean, who had previously ruled out a move to IndyCar saying ovals "scare me", was asked what had brought about the change of heart.

"Well it was my bad," added Grosjean. "I thought IndyCar had more ovals than it actually does.

"Ovals, yes, it is something I am not necessarily a huge fan of, but looking at the calendar, there are basically three ovals – Texas, which is fast, the Indianapolis 500 and then the short track."

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